The Role of Community-Engaged Learning in Engineering Education for Sustainable Development

Jamie Goggins and Magdalena Hajdukiewicz
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Jamie Goggins: School of Engineering, College of Science and Engineering, University of Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland
Magdalena Hajdukiewicz: School of Engineering, College of Science and Engineering, University of Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 13, 1-17

Abstract: This paper presents the positive experience of facilitating over 300 community-engaged engineering projects at an Irish higher-education institution. The projects are framed by a research orientation, a commitment to civic engagement, and building university–community partnerships, city–university partnerships, and partnerships with other official agencies, so that community users can provide real learning problems and contexts for students and researchers and benefit from the results. The paper highlights how well the outlined approach fits with the ideas of engaged scholarship and civic professionalism, and facilitates sustainable development. Students recognise the long-term value of engaging with community partners, understanding their future role in the community as engineers, reinforcing the idea that their work can respond directly to real needs in the community, while promoting the sustainability agenda at the same time. The approach presented in this study will not only enable the development of future models for embedding sustainability in engineering programs, but will also equip future engineers with transferable skills to ensure that sustainable development goes beyond university courses and is practiced every day.

Keywords: community-engaged learning; sustainable development; engineering education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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